A Wild Bet

Ding Wei was a rather handsome young man. He possessed a chiseled face, glossy hair and slim physique. At fifteen years old, he had already shed his baby fat, showcasing his clear white skin and pearly teeth.

However, at that moment, his face resembled a giant blueberry, swollen and covered in blood. Fists and feet rained down on him like hammers as he lay in a puddle of spilled mop-water. A sudden kick to his side forced him to cough up blood.

"You bastard... How dare you flirt with Liu Yan again? You're not even fit to look at her!" a tall boy with foxlike features sneered. This was his eldest cousin, Ding Chen.

"Yeah, know your place!" chimed in two other voices simultaneously, followed by another kick to his side.

These cousins of his frequently subjected him to such incidents, though Wei couldn't fathom why. He hadn't said or done anything to encourage their behavior.

"I didn't hear her complaining... What, are you jealous that she would rather look at me than you?" he retorted, smirking even as blood dripped from his face onto the marble floor beneath him.

Ding Chen, his fox-featured cousin, was by no means ugly. However, when compared to Wei, every other boy in the village paled in comparison. This infuriated his cousin, who had harbored a crush on Liu Yan since they were toddlers. It was a common sentiment, as nearly all the boys had a crush on Liu Yan. She was the most beautiful girl in the village, if not the entire province. Being supremely talented and the heiress to a wealthy family, her beauty was to be expected.

Yet, most were too afraid of the powerful Liu family to even approach her.

But Ding Wei was fearless.

A forceful kick to the side of his head blurred his vision, causing a terrible ache in his skull.

"You filthy... worthless..." Chen spluttered, his eyes narrowed shut in rage.

"Brother Chen! Let's teach him a proper lesson this time!" declared the cold-hearted instigators, Ding Yun and Ding Jun. They loved causing mischief and never missed an opportunity to coerce someone into violence.

Chen took a moment to compose himself, then smirked dangerously.

"Alright. The bastard wants to disrespect his betters. Let's make sure he can never use that filthy tongue of his again."

"Yes! Let's cut his tongue out!" repeated the twins in unison, a trait that had always unsettled Wei. Their eyes gleamed with malice.

"Tch." Wei scoffed, clenching his fists. "You talk big when it's three on one. Do you dare face me yourself?"

Silence filled the air for a moment before all three cousins burst into laughter.

"You-- you-- ahah- ahahaha!" laughed Yun, pointing a finger at him. "Hah! How could someone like you fight Brother Chen!"

Jun added, "Are you even a real cultivator? You're hardly any better than a mere peasant! Yet you dare to challenge the strongest youth in our village!"

Ignoring the twins, Ding Wei locked his gaze onto his older cousin. Once, when he was still young and foolish, he had looked up to Ding Chen and tried to emulate his every action. Now, bitterness and hatred filled his heart.

"Do you dare?"

"Do I have any reason not to? Fear not, little bastard. I'll beat you up any time." Chen retorted.

Wei held up a finger. "One month. One month is all I'll need to surpass you."

"One month, one year, one lifetime. What difference will it make? You will always be in my shadow," sneered Chen. "But I'll play along. One month from now, we'll meet at the village square."

"At noon, then," Wei nodded.

"... And after I beat you, you will leave this village and never show your face in Guangzhu ever again."

Ding Wei gulped anxiously. "... Okay," he agreed. "But... If I win, you will get on your knees and apologize to me in front of everyone, as soon as the fight is over!"

"As if that would happen. You're a mere first level, while Chen is-!" Yun began, but Chen raised his hand to silence him.

"Enough. If by some miracle you manage to beat me, I, Ding Chen, swear to kowtow in front of you and apologize."

With a graceful spin, Chen walked away.

Wei watched as they wandered off, laughing and joking amongst themselves, completely unfazed by the threat of him winning. After all, Chen was the most talented member of the family, while Wei was considered the least talented.

He lay there for a while, feeling the enormity of the challenge ahead. Yun had run into him when their beating began, knocking over his mop and bucket. He picked them up and continued cleaning despite his soreness and bruises. Limping through the hallways with his tools, he carefully cleaned every surface until it shone.

Eventually, the pain dulled, and his mind drifted away.

Back to a time when this place, its lush gardens and pristine hallways, belonged to him and his mother. It was their home, their sanctuary.

But everything had changed five years ago.

After his mother's sudden passing, his maternal relatives had kicked him out and seized control of the property. They took everything—treasures, servants, furnishings, and cultivation resources. Not even his clothes were spared. He was forced to strip out of his silk garments and don peasant's garb. Back then he'd thought it uncomfortable and itchy, now that plain robe would be his best item of clothing.

He had tried to fight back, barely ten years old at the time. He approached the village leader, who dined at their compound every week, as well as the elders whose debts his mother had paid. Even the middle-aged housewives who had cried at his mother's funeral and promised to care for him in her stead.

No one helped him.

Ding Wei laughed bitterly. "In the end, I was forced to beg on hands and knees for a servant's position in the compound that was stolen from me."

No one else would employ him, not if they wanted to avoid his uncle's wrath. Uncle Feng was cruel, violent, and opportunistic. He had acted swiftly, seizing all their possessions before Wei's mother's body had even grown cold. To this day, Wei didn't know how his uncle had managed it.

Ding Wei ground his teeth in anger. "But one day... One day I will repay this humiliation tenfold. One day, I'll reclaim my home and make everyone who stepped on my weakness regret ever taking advantage of me."